So I've finally got a T3 CW flight booked, although not till next August, and the whole family is going to be in tow.

Which means I need to think about how to persuade Mrs RC and the daughters that a lounge crawl is an essential start to the holiday. I've not yet tried either the Qantas or AA offerings, and would be good to get a chance to sample all of them in one go...

(she thinks I'm obsessive about lounges already, I have my work cut out. Worst case I may have to settle for noodles and champagne...)

Having visited both the CX F and J lounges I actually think I prefer the J lounge.

Yet to try the Qantas and can hopefully get in there soon. Lots of BA T3 5 movements in the winter schedule but fingers crossed I can make it work.

I would spend more time in the QANTAS lounge vs. the AA lounge. I usually only pop into the Admirals Club on the way to the gate to grab a bag or two of the takeaway candy for the flight.

Thanks. I've certainly read less positive views on the AA lounge, although in the spirit of fairness, I feel that I should give each one a good try :cool:

Qantas would have been my fallback anyway if I hadn't upgraded from WTP - as I understand they let kids in on the basis of my OWS status, without counting them as guests (although a 17 and 14 year old might really be stretching that point...)

I think this wiki probably needs an 'optimal crawl strategy' included. So there's the challenge - say 2 hours total, around lunch time... how would people juggle that? And you have to visit all 4!

ratechaser Mrs Clam was the same about both lounge runs and the whole chasing status in the first place when we began flying BA last May. Now I can't get her to turn right on an airplane for love nor money and if we fly out of LHR ( LGW is our home airport) her first question is "is it out of T3 so I can use the CX lounge?!"

At least from my own experience once done then those who are sceptical soon change their minds. We actually just booked a trip to Zagreb and she suggested a night in a hotel up there the night before so we could do a lounge run which is something she scoffed at last year. We're Silvers so our own experience is only with the business class lounges but honestly I think the QF lounge is woefully underrated and a great place to be. The food is in point, the service is exemplary and if you like gin well you're definitely in for a treat! As with others the AA lounge is one that I did on my 1st T3 LR simply to tick it off the list but I find the entire place to be drab, uninspiring and just meh all round. Reetmafreen is right about snagging a couple bags of candy for the flight though and the showers are okay. I can't nail down a favourite between QF & CX but the better half is unequivocal about CX being the king of them all although she's not such a fan of coffee or gin as I am. The only positive that stands out for the T3 BA Club lounge is that it seems easier to get a glass of bubbles compared to T5 and they don't look at you like you've just slapped their saintly grandmother for asking for the stuff.

It seems that they are people for whom a lounge crawl is an unnecessary waste of time that could be better spent using one lounge for its intended purpose - sitting, refreshing and relaxing - rather than as boxes to be ticked off during a whistle-stop walking tour of an airport building.

So perhaps guest them all into the place where they're most likely to be happy for the duration, and then "go shopping" by yourself?

I think you may have nailed it!

I’m an Admirals Club member to boot and I now actively avoid my “home” club when going through T3. ;) Back before the direct LHR-SAN flight was reintroduced, I would fly AA from LAX and I didn’t know any better and I would just head straight to the AA lounge and hang out there before my flight. With the SAN flight switching to T3, I’ll be making use of the QANTAS and Cathay lounges a lot more. My next SAN flight is in F, so I’ll be sure to try dinning at Cathay, before popping into GF for a few bubbles and then stick my head into the AA F lounge just because I can (maybe see if they have any candy there and if not, grab some from the J lounge). Can’t say I’ve ever used the BA J lounge at T3.

To be honest, the very last thing I would want at the start of a holiday would be to be dragged around from lounge to lounge rather than be allowed to sit and relax in one.

As this is a family holiday I would suggest preparing yourself to be outvoted and to graciously bow to the ladies' wishes. Or leave them to relax while you go and tick the boxes.

For peace and comfort the J lounge seems far, far better - at least between Hong Kong departures.

There are some additional food items in the F-section, and probably higher-end drinks. But F is a quite intimate space: last week the restaurant part had a queue, and the other room was being entertained by a bunch of excited Finns. There was also an odd bod taking photos of wine bottles and the food.

It doesn't help that the restaurant won't serve half their menu if you're sitting outside the restaurant, I think the Dim Sung and the Dan Dan Mien is the only things they will serve you sitting out there. Making it necessary to queue for such a limited space if you want something else.

I found out that the buzzer from the J noodle bar works in the F lounge, though.

If they had self pour champers in the J lounge, it would be perfect for me, and I'd not ever feel the need to use the F lounge. It was no great loss when going from gold to silver, which would be horrifying if having to go from BA F to J, back in the days pre CX and Qantas.

I look forward to these pics appearing on the "Where in the world am I?" thread.

Either that or they are going to appear in a lounge review blog.

Well I have at least one daughter wanting to join me for the full tour so we'll see. I suspect the other one will be sitting with Mrs RC, headphones on. Less of an adventurer...

I had 2 kids that were eager to go and see what treats were in each one, whereas I left my better half in Qantas with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc!

I reckon if I say that there are bags of candy in the AA lounge then I might get both of them along for the ride. They were always raiding the jars in the LHR Virgin clubhouse when younger...

But... better half in Qantas or Cathay...? Where's the better champers?